The selections for this last Meditation Monday of February come from some of Hazelden's beloved recovery resources: Easy Does It , In God's Care , and A Woman's Spirit . Together, these three meditations can help us focus on connecting with our Higher Power and keeping faith in the promises of recovery....
In his book, Drop the Rock—The Ripple Effect , Fred H. describes how the habits and practices that we build as we work a Twelve Step program of recovery create positive effects in us that ripple outward into our relationships and beyond. This excerpt focuses on the importance of understanding and embracing the Steps not as ideas to be learned but as activities that give shape to our lives.
The selections for this mid-February Meditation Monday come from three of Hazelden's popular recovery resources: A Life of My Own , Today's Gift , and Twenty-Four Hours a Day . Together, these meditations focus on releasing control of outcomes and finding serenity through acceptance and the assistance of our Higher Power....
In her book The Recovering Heart: Emotional Sobriety for Women , Beverly Conyers explores emotional sobriety, or healing, by addressing many of the behaviors and feelings that come with early recovery. Although this book is written for women, this excerpt will likely resonate many of us.
The selections for this mid-month Meditation Monday come from some of Hazelden's bestselling recovery resources: Walk in Dry Places , Answers in the Heart , and Keepers of the Wisdom . Together, these three meditations focus on serenity and patience, especially as we interpret the things that happen to us and receive feedback from others....
In their book What Went Right: Reframe Your Thinking for a Happier Now , Michael Wetter and Eileen Bailey provide easy-to-understand ways to recognize and interrupt self-defeating thought processes. This includes our rigid black and white thinking and our problems with managing expectations.
The selections for this first Meditation Monday in February come from a trio of Hazelden's enduringly popular recovery resources: Answers in the Heart , Twenty-Four Hours a Day , and The Promise of a New Day . Together, today's three meditations invite us to claim our basic goodness and the positive value we share as human beings—even as we seek to improve our lives and our relationships in recovery....
In her book Sex in Recovery: A Meeting Between the Covers , Jennifer Matesa explores the challenges people encounter when navigating sex and romance while living in recovery. She creates a space for a vital, new dialogue about sexuality and intimacy. Many people may believe that sex is not a factor in their recovery. Matesa explains how important it actually is.
Three short meditations selected from January entries in three of Hazelden Publishing's popular meditation series of books: A Day at a Time , Walk in Dry Places , and Easy Does It . Today’s Meditation Monday selections focus on simplicity, honesty, and living free from denial in recovery....
In his book, Destination Joy: Moving Beyond Fear, Loss, and Trauma in Recovery , beloved author and counselor Earnie Larsen explores ways we can bring greater love, acceptance, and belonging to our recovering lives. This excerpt details what he identifies as six "basic" attitudes that support healthy and joyful recovery.
Three short meditations selected from January entries in three of Hazelden Publishing's popular meditation series of books: God Grant Me , In God's Care , and Days of Healing, Days of Joy . Today's Meditation Monday selections are gathered around the theme of positivity....
In his book The Spiritual Self: Reflections on Recovery and God , Dr. Abraham J. Twerski helps us understand the meaning of spirituality, and he offers insight on how to nurture our relationship with God while in recovery. In this excerpt, we learn ways that we can work on our character defects in recovery.
In their book Six Essentials to Achieve Lasting Recovery , Dr. Sterling T. Shumway and Dr. Thomas G. Kimball offer guiding principles that are key to long-term recovery. This excerpt describes "value nurturing," including examples of how this practice can help us shift from negative self-talk to positive hope in our ability to change and grow.
Three short meditations selected from early January entries in three of Hazelden Publishing's popular meditation series of books: Walk in Dry Places, If You Leave Me, Can I Come with You? and Day by Day . Today's Meditation Monday selections are gathered around the theme of "patience."...
In her book Fearless Relationships: Simple Rules for Lifelong Contentment , Karen Casey offers guidance about what can help or hinder our relationships. In this excerpt, we explore the ways we can grow when we are willing to understand situations from a fresh perspective.
Three short meditations selected from early January entries in three of Hazelden Publishing's popular meditation series of books: Today's Gift , A Day at a Time , and The Promise of a New Day . Today's Meditation Monday selections are gathered around the theme of "today."...
In their book Now That You're Sober: Week-by-Week Guidance from Your Recovery Coach , Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty offer support, insights, and exercises for people in early recovery. In this excerpt, we learn why it is important to wait at least a year in recovery before beginning a new romantic relationship.
For decades, the book A Program for You: A Guide to the Big Book's Design for Living has helped millions of people understand the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous, and apply the Twelve Steps to their lives. In this excerpt, we learn about different ways that resentments can appear in our lives and how they can present a roadblock to our recovery.
Anne Katherine, in her book Boundaries: Where You End and I Begin , explains the need for boundaries and how they can affect various aspects of our lives. This excerpt emphasizes the importance of communication in all of our relationships.
In Drop the Rock: Removing Our Character Defects , Bill P., Todd W., and Sara S. discuss the principles behind the Sixth and Seventh Steps, not only for understanding but also for action - so we can transform our lives and our relationships in recovery. In this excerpt, we examine Step Seven: "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."
In his book Passages Through Recovery: An Action Plan for Preventing Relapse , Terence T. Gorski explains the recovery process through six stages - transitioning from active addiction to sobriety. This excerpt describes the importance of conscious growth in our lives. It also compares two very different ways of coping with "stuck points" in recovery - approaches to problem-solving that lead to very different results....
In her book An Invitation to Self-Care: Why Learning to Nurture Yourself Is the Key to the Life You've Always Wanted , Tracey Cleantis explores how to improve self-care in many areas of life by applying seven key principles. In this excerpt, we learn ways we can incorporate self-care into our daily routines at work.
In his book First-Year Sobriety: When All That Changes Is Everything , Guy Kettelhack discusses the milestones and obstacles that are common in the first year of recovery. This excerpt explores the anxiety we may have around celebrations.
Step Up: Unpacking Steps One, Two, and Three with Someone Who's Been There by Michael Graubart is a practical guide for people who wish to find or deepen their recovery through the Twelve Step program and who are working on the first three Steps. In this excerpt, we examine Step One and what the word "unmanageable" means during active addiction.
It's tempting to think that the Twelve Steps are the on-ramp to a life of recovery - the things we have to do to get onto the easy road of contented sobriety. In this excerpt from the revised edition of his classic book A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps , Dr. Patrick Carnes explains the significance of Step Ten - that the Steps are actually a pattern for life. They offer an ongoing set of practices and habits of heart and mind that we return to daily....
In his book Twelve Step Sponsorship: How It Works , author and sponsor Hamilton B. writes for both sponsors and sponsees about this important part of the program. In this excerpt, he explores the practice of face-to-face relationship repair that is at the heart of the Ninth Step.
In her book When Misery Is Company: End Self-Sabotage and Become Content , Anne Katherine provides solutions for those of us who may fear allowing ourselves to have hope or to be happy. In this excerpt, we explore how understanding and processing our true feelings can lead to freedom from our past.
In their book What Went Right: Reframe Your Thinking for a Happier Now , Michael Wetter and Eileen Bailey offer practical techniques and principles to help us recognize self-defeating thoughts. In this excerpt, we explore the impact of accepting ourselves and letting go of our negative self-image.
In his book The 12 Steps Unplugged: A Young Person's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous , John R. interprets the philosophies and stories of the Big Book in straightforward language that speaks to regular people. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of faith, this excerpt can help you understand the spiritual aspect of AA's approach to recovery.
In his book Second-Year Sobriety: Getting Comfortable Now That Everything Is Different , Guy Kettelhack explores the growth and the challenges we often face in the second year of recovery. In this excerpt, we learn how it is common to miss having a bit of chaos in our lives. If we want our recovery to last, we must continue to be mindful and ground ourselves in the moment.
